Improvement in station-indicators



UNITED STATES n'rnnr JOHN w. BRYAN, orwnrnnrown, rnunnssnn.

IMPROVEMENT IN STA'l'lO N-INDlCATORS.

Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 158,900, dated January 19, 1875; application filed December 19, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. BRYAN, of VVatertown, in the county of Wilson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and improved Station-Indicator, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical transverse section on the line w as, Fig. 1, of my improved station-indicator.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates'to a simple and conveniently-operated station-indicator for railway and street cars, omnibuses, and other public conveyances; and it consists of a casing with an upper and lower chamber, provided with sliding frames and spring-followers for holding the station-indicating plates, in connection with a sliding key or frame having shoulders for carrying the station-plates to the upper front opening and retaining them by springs at the sides of the opening, exposed to view. A false spring-bottom carries the lower spring-follower upward for receiving the station-plates in regular order after each trip.

In the drawing, A represents the casing or box of the station-indicator, which is preferably set into the car or omnibus frame and providedwith two chambers, one above the other, of which the upper has a front opening of suflicient size to exhibit the names of the stations. The stations are printed or painted in clear letters on plates B, of wood or other suitable material, and are arranged in consecutive order in the lower part of easing A. Both chambers are provided with slide-frames O, in the nature of drawers, running in side grooves of easing A, being opened and closed by knobs and latches, in suitable manner, for the purpose of readily adjusting and arrangingthe station-plates therein. Both the frames U have suitable guided spring-followers D,

pressed condition by the guide-strips a of the lower slide-frame, 0, when the same is pushed inwardly, but is allowed to rise gradually on the opening of the lower slide-frame as the inclined ends of the guide-strips release to some extent their pressure on the false bottom and carry the upperedge of the lower follower closely against the bottom of the upper slide-frame, so that, on the withdrawal of the upper slide-frame, the station-plates therein are dropped on the false bottom without changing the order in which they were arranged. Between the bottom of the upper slide-frame, 0, when in closed position, and casing A, a narrow space is provided, which is wide enough for the passage of a stationindicating plate, B, from the lower chamber to the upper. Vertically-sliding rods F run in side grooves of the front wall 0 casing A, and are laterally connected by a bot m piece, F, forming thereby the key of the indicator.

Projecting shoulders b, produced by recessing the upper parts of sliding rods F, take up, one by one, the station-plates B in the lower chamber, and carry the same in upward direction, on sliding up the key, till retained to close the front opening of the casing by side springs cl and the upper spring-follower, 0, indicating thereby the name of the stations in the open part. The operating-key F is carried, either by hand or by leverconneotion with a treadle or brake, or by steam-power transmitted'by pipe and piston connection from the locomotive, in upward direction whenever the indicators throughout the train are to be changed on approaching the stations.

A bell may be suitably arranged in the indicator for drawing the attention of the passengers to each change of the indicator.

When the end of the route is reached, and all the station-plates are carried up into the upper chamber, they are returned in the order required to the lower chamber, ready for the return trip, by opening first the lower slideframe, which brings the false bottom in close contactwiththe bottom oftheupper slide-frame, and withdrawing then the upper slide-frame. The whole number of station-plates is thereby conveyed to the lower chamber, and, on clossing the slide-frames, ready to be carried up rrrn.

2. The lower slide-frame, 0, having springfollower D and guide-strips a, with inclined ends, in connection with the spring-acted false bottom E, for carrying up the lower follower to the bottom of the upper slide-frame on opening the lower slide for returning the station-plates in regular order from the upper chamber to the lower, substantially as specified.

JOHN W. BRYAN. Witnesses:

ALEXANDER YOUNG, JOURNAL BRYAN. 

